International Standard Recording Code (ISRC)

Re-Pro, along with the UK National Discography and the International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) has been at the forefront in encouraging greater understanding about systems which identify sound recordings, musical works and even text and photographs.

Coding for the future!

The introduction of the Compact Disc highlighted the lack of accurate archive information relating to existing recordings. In many cases record companies couldn't even find the right Master, let alone credit the original performers - an issue that led Re-Pro and APRS to introduce a universal tape labelling system to at least avoid the wrong tape being used.

Re-Pro is now pressing the industry to adopt the internationally recognised ISRC identification system which could ensure that everyone involved in a recording receives the royalties they are entitled to. ISRC works by providing a unique number for each sound recording which can be inaudibly encrypted at the mastering stage and cross-referenced to computer-archived information. Re-Pro believes that the producer is the person best placed to supply recording information and to insist that all new recordings are properly encoded.

The adoption of ISRC is important for the future of the whole industry, especially as the development of new electronic delivery systems makes it increasingly difficult for the industry to control the use of its work. IFPI is encouraging record companies throughout the world to adopt the scheme. With ISRC encoding in place, it may eventually be possible to automatically monitor the use of recordings across every format so that everyone involved benefits from the recording's exploitation.

Get the Codes on the Road!

Re-Pro - the Guild of Recording Producers, Directors and Engineers and the MCPS National Discography have been working together on investigating ways in which information that will service the ISRC and ISWC identifiers can be collected.

In March 1996, Re-Pro launched its ISRC & Sound Recording pilot scheme intended to collect data about recordings, compositions and all those who play a role in creating, performing and producing them. The information will be stored in a new section of the National Discography's computer system and will eventually be used in conjunction with other data.

Try it on the Web!

As of September 1st 1996, you can enter data about your recordings directly via the Re-Pro Web site. This is a trial scheme which online members may find more convenient than filling out a paper form.

So what's it all about?

One of the important problems that currently face the music business (and all businesses which rely on their products being performed or broadcast publicly) is that it can sometimes be very difficult to find out how many times a particular item has been used. Identifying broadcast useage of a CD, for example, is particularly important to all those who have contributed to the finished product. This is because the artists, the composers, the record companies and the music publishers all expect to receive a small payment, normally via a royalty collection society, whenever one of their recordings has been broadcast or played in public.

The film and TV industries have also been very concerned about this for some years - citing evidence from abroad of unauthorised and unpaid uses of programmes and films. Rogue broadcasts are losing millions of pounds of revenue for the UK and various steps have been taken over the years to prevent this 'pirate' activity.

The problems of piracy and of measuring use are set to to have an even greater impact on the whole music industry when the new digital broadcast services start up in the near future. Soon, 'multiplex' services will come on stream - services which will enable hundreds of different recordings to be broadcast simultaneously. Those who have suitable equipment at home will be able to record them in pristine digital quality - to replay again and again. You can, I am sure, imagine the concerns of the owners of the songs, the recordings and those who perform on them.

This problem has not escaped the notice of those, all over the world, concerned with protecting intellectual property - as far back as the mid 80's work started on establishing a system that would uniquely identify recordings, songs and things like text, pictures and paintings.

From now on, recordings can be identified by an ISRC - International Standard Recording Code, and songs and other musical compositions get their own identifiers: the ISWC - International Standard Work Code.

Linked to the codes will be extensive computer data files which store every detail about each recording - where it was made, who played on it, who composed the music, which record label owns it, and so forth.

The plan is to bury inaudible versions of these identifying numbers in the recording so that they can be automatically monitored by special equipment enabling uses of recordings to be traced whenever they are played. The ISRC numbers are linked to encrypted codes that are created by special algorithms that form part commercially available watermarking or tattooing systems (eg ICE, invented by CRL in the UK). Each of these systems have different properties - some degrade when compressed at broadcast, while others are secure and reliable signatures that are inaudible and do not pollute the musical signal but which can be logged by special hardware and software usually loctaed in monitoring stations. A good example is the BDS service which monitors the uses of some of the regular new releases and is also used to track commercials or advertisments.

The information about performance of recordings can then be used in conjunction with the ISRC data files so that all the contributors get efficiently and accurately paid.